Painted ladies were fluttering around in the salvia while I was working on the canopies we park our cars under this afternoon. I guess they got used to me being there as I climbed up and down the ladder, messed with the fabric and fasteners, and cursed the wind, because when I finished fixing the canopies, I grabbed my camera and they let me get close to them with the camera.

When I came back from an errand late this afternoon, Puck was laying on the wall in a really good spot that would have resulted in a great composition; but the second I pointed my camera at him he started walking down the wall away from me. I said “Puck! You rotten cat. Can’t you pose for me?” He stopped sat on the wall, looked straight at me, stuck his tongue out at me as I snapped the photo, then jumped off the wall and ran off. Really bratty.

I used the leftover lumber from the canopy project to build a bonsai stand so we could put our large, gnarly bonsai ficus out on the deck for the summer. The stand came out really nice, so now I have to buy more material to build stands for the other two bonsai ficus. Being handy has its advantages and its drawbacks — between working on the canopy, building the bonsai stand, and the stormy weather we had today I can hardly move tonight.

Laurie planted eight new roses this afternoon in the rain. I took a break and laid on the chaise lounge with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern laying on my legs. We listened to the rain on the canopy while I read and drank coffee.